TP RA3 Rackmount Amplifier Review

[TonyJZX]

you also forgot the XLR and rca switching ability... and as I keep pointing out, the future use of the type-c port for s/w control

i myself quite like the Fosi V3 but I'm treating $100 amps as curios and to me, Topping and SMSL are a technological step above Fosi and that like... that's just the way it is... and "kitbashing" an amp although valid is very very very far from the polish Topping are delivering here.

I say to Topping... expand on this range... maybe pop in multichannel into a 2ru package. Maybe extend that depth and put in 100w amps? I dont even like Topping that much but I can see a lot of future potential in this rack format.

 

[phoenixsong]

And some are very quiet. That’s not a reason to say this amplifier is not suitable for background amplification at tens of thousands of restaurants and bars is it? It’s horses for courses.

If I own a bar/restaurant and would like to play low level ambient music, I would definitely pick an amplifier with more channels for even, encompassing sound coverage due to the lower sound power per channel

 

[D700]

You're right Amir. I started my HiFi "journey" with a Sansui AU 719 and TU 719 and AR 14 speakers. The Sansui set looked very "pro" with its, detachable (!), rackmounts. The set played for over 20 years. I bougt the set in 1980. View attachment 296716

That is gorgeous, never seen that stack before. I’m 58 but 12 year old me stopped playing Atari long enough to ask why my current gear can’t look that nice.

 

[DanielT]

you also forgot the XLR and rca switching ability... and as I keep pointing out, the future use of the type-c port for s/w control..

If you refer to my comments about DIY cost VS this finished TP RA3 then you definitely have a point.

.... but I can see a lot of future potential in this rack format.

For home HiFi use? How? Cram a lot of stuff into a rack that needs convection cooling is not good.

Might be worth considering for those considering the TP RA3 and mounting it in a nice wooden rack.

 

[Prana Ferox]

i dont think people are all that interested in speculation of using this device to power a jazz cafe or a conference room when no one in this universe or any other universe would ever use it in this application

Oh so now we have to deal with a Topping multiverse too

 

[TonyJZX]

Oh so now we have to deal with a Topping multiverse too

they have QC issues in every multiverse unfortunately

 

[Fidji]

Honestly - I fail to understand the “good amp for 230” line of thought. Why should I want to have 230 eur amp that shuts down on difficult load, has heaps of distortion in treble area, when I can have proper Hypex Ncore for double the money. One should not expect things like amp to cost the same as weekly groceries.

If the race is towards "I want to have cheap stuff, that is not really horrible" so be it. But I think it is wrong direction. If my budget is 500 eur overall, then I can see different combinations to get better setup for source to speaker gear.

 

[DanielT]

Honestly - I fail to understand the “good amp for 230” line of thought. Why should I want to have 230 eur amp that shuts down on difficult load, has heaps of distortion in treble area, when I can have proper Hypex Ncore for double the money. One should not expect things like amp to cost the same as weekly groceries.

If the race is towards "I want to have cheap stuff, that is not really horrible" so be it. But I think it is wrong direction. If my budget is 500 eur overall, then I can see different combinations to get better setup for source to speaker gear.

At 50W, 10kHz 77dB/0.014% distortion. Is that what you consider: "has heaps of distortion in treble area"?

Regarding the shuts down. I suspect that Topping does not want to experience this again:

Poll for Topping PA5 owners only please.

Poll for PA5 owners to report product defects. Discussion for any solutions. I think it would be useful to get a handle on some numbers to estimate just how wide spread the issues are. Addendum: Here is Topping's response to the PA5 issues...

audiosciencereview.com

...hence extra precautions with TP RA3.

 

[sarumbear]

If I own a bar/restaurant and would like to play low level ambient music, I would definitely pick an amplifier with more channels for even, encompassing sound coverage due to the lower sound power per channel

This amplifier will allow multiple channels using almost the same rack space used by a 4-channel amplifier. It offers 260W (@ 1%) in 1U. As a comparison, a DCI series Crown 4-channel amplifier offers 600W but at 10x the price.

 

[amirm]

Honestly - I fail to understand the “good amp for 230” line of thought. Why should I want to have 230 eur amp that shuts down on difficult load, has heaps of distortion in treble area, when I can have proper Hypex Ncore for double the money.

I don't know why this keeps coming up. I never said it shuts down on difficult load. It shuts down on any load way past its clipping point. And because it shuts down, my analyzer can't follow the script to test at other load points.

 

[Grotti]

I don't know why this keeps coming up. I never said it shuts down on difficult load. It shuts down on any load way past its clipping point. And because it shuts down, my analyzer can't follow the script to test at other load points.

This is what any amp should do: shut down beyond its clipping point. I can't count the tweeters I replaced in my time as an employee at a local hifi dealer due to clipping amps and drunken owners.

 

[MAB]

Lots of discussion about use in coffee shops, bars, etc.
I suggest Niles is the competition for that market:

Niles SI-275 Amplifier Review

This is a review and detailed measurements of the Niles SI-275 stereo power amplifier. It is on kind loan from a member. The SI-275 is discontinued. But since it is sold to the custom integration channel, they come up used and in working orders (companies pull out gear wholesale to redo...

www.audiosciencereview.com

Niles also makes 12-channel installer amps, with bridgeable channels and flexible input configurations. The restaurant near me has one and plays mood-music in the dining area and blasts rock in the bar in the back. I installed these in homes and businesses long ago. They are incredibly reliable and seem to handle abuse, it's typical to go to a coffee shop or bar or home where you did the install and find that two or three pairs of speakers had been hooked up to each channel by the end user... It's also typical that even if the system is intended to be background music, it will get cranked with reckless abandon. I don't think this is what the RA3 is intended for, but it seems like it would work at slightly lower cost.

My first active 3-way was with a 12-channel Niles. It performed really well. This RA3 would much better performance for that application. And rack mount is great, I have Bryston 2B and 3B amps and 10B crossover in a small rack that I can roll out of sight, but still be able to mess around with and clean and keep wires hidden. Two or three RA3 and a MiniDSP crossover would be very nice and cost much less than the Bryston stack, and outperform in pretty much every area except maybe reliability and ruggedness. It seems this is where the RA3 makes the most sense.

 

[Saponetto]

So, after 14 pages of thread all that I understood is:
-this amplifier looks as a pro,
-it is fine-tuned for near field,
-lacks of power,
-lacks of inputs,
-does not get hot at all,
-has a paranoid protection system,
-has a resistor net volume control.

Definitely got a big headache.
I'll try again later to understand if this thing could tickle my chords.

Oh, thanks for the review, i liked it so much!

 

[sarumbear]

Honestly…Why should I want to have 230 eur amp that… has heaps of distortion in treble area…

Can you kindly show this old man where is that distortion heap in this chart?

 

[Anthony LoFi]

To your point, there is a more sensible thread that the designer started:

Ask me questions.

Hi A few questions/"suggestions". :) Why not a more powerful amplifier, performance leading as per your usual but at least 200 watt/ch? It could even be mono. Class D, preferred because of efficiency and balanced too. A full featured preamplifier with DAC and phono stage? Balanced of course...

www.audiosciencereview.com

Thanks fPitas,
I didnt know of TP John Wangs Thread. Totally ignorant of its existence.
Wouldn't mind a Note to future reviews where this service is available from a manufacturer.
Great marketing feedback for TP and the profesional coutesy of an answer to the forum member.

 

[Grooved]

Pro is short for professional and the word means doing something for money that otherwise you will do it for fun. It helps to use the words as it is written in a dictionary.

So according to you, "commercial" or "business" use means "for fun"?
When you manage a small restaurant, or a small store, you're not playing audio for fun, you run a business and want to add a musical atmosphere, but your main activity is not making money with audio.
It's not same thing than running something where people attend a live show where music is what they paid for and where audio professional work on all event.
I'm not inventing a word, there are brand that sells products for small store or restaurant as "business" product, and not "pro" product.

 

[TonyJZX]

I find it kinda funny how a western audience is arguing semantics about 'professional' use when Topping themselves dont even care nor was their intention explicitly clear in that regard.

Do you think TP's product planners made these contingencies?

With the limited amount of PR material available and the way the Chinese is worded this is a lifestyle product. Why does it only have banana plugs out for speakers? Is that a reasonable expectation in 'professional' use?

 

[sarumbear]

So according to you, "commercial" or "business" use means "for fun"?

I posted the dictionary definition. It is not according to me. I have no idea how you read the dictionary definition of the word to mean that but unless we use the same language I cannot continue communicating with you further. Please argue with the dictionary publisher.

 

[sarumbear]

I find it kinda funny how a western audience is arguing semantics

It is not Western but English speaking audiences.

 

[phoenixsong]

It is not Western but English speaking audiences.

Some with the help of translation too! I was just about to chime in on this